Engine advice for the winter

Fuel - the stuff we all need - but apart from its eye-waveringly expensive cost, fuel has its perils for those of us who own motor boat engines, generators or lawn mowers.

1. problem is ethanol, which was put in to replace the lead in petrol. The ethanol petrol, when left in your engine for a period of time, starts to evaporate thus leaving water in your carburettor. This issue is not usually encountered with normal car usage as, of course, we use our cars on a regular basis, usually every day, and the moisture then burns off.

1. lawn mowers, generators and boat engines often have long periods of inactivity which leads the ethanol to evaporate and cause moisture. The picture on the left is how your carburettor should look and on the right is one that’s been damaged after being left unemptied for a period of time.

Steve John, director at West Devon-based Abbey Garden Machinery, says: ‘We see a lot of these issues and as soon as a client says they’re having starting problems we suspect that there could be water in the carburettor.’

There is a solution on hand however, if you want to leave fuel in any engine which is not going to be used for a period of time.

Aspen Alkylate Petrol was developed in Sweden in 1980 and Aspen 2 was developed later in 1988 by a fuel expert at Volvo, Roland Elmdng, who saw the potential to develop a fuel which was better for people, better for the environment and providing a better performance from engines.

‘We recommend Aspen if you want to leave your machine without emptying it over a layover period, such as winter,’ Steve added.

For further information regarding Aspen fuel and general advice about engine care you can contact Steve John at Abbey Garden Machinery on 01822 614053.